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Analysis and Comment

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Rejoice: rumours of male extinction may be out of line. StuartOlver

Despair not, blokes, there’s hope for the Y chromosome yet

There’s something degenerate in every male (no, seriously). We members of the facial-hair-bearing sex carry, among the 23 pairs of chromosomes in every one of our cells, an odd pair of sex-chromosomes…

The Antarctica Diaries: the final instalment

Professor Michael Ashley recently returned from Antarctica where he deployed a telescope to one of the most remote locations on Earth – a place known as Ridge A, 850km from the South Pole. This is the…

Do patents promote innovation?

IDEAS AND OWNERSHIP: The concept of protecting ideas and innovation by legal means dates back to antiquity. But in the age of the internet and multinational business models, many of the existing laws are…

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Welcome to The Conversation

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Research and News

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Research Briefs with Futurity

First nano-scale optical circuit built

The first electronic circuit to replace electric current with lightwaves has been built by researchers at the University…

Humans are naturally co-operative

Co-operative behaviour has been found in primitive animals and children, challenging the Darwinian theory that humans are…

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Editors’ Picks

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The gaming industry's decade-long journey might soon be over. Bethesda Softworks

TECHNOLOGY

R18+ classification for videogames … the quest continues

Late last week Federal Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare introduced a bill to parliament that takes Australia one step closer to an R18+ classification for videogames. No sooner had the classification…
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Comments posted by the writer have seen Twitter sued for defamation. Mosman Library

TECHNOLOGY

Will Marieke Hardy’s Twitter case change Australian law for ever?

Twitter is being sued for defamation by a Melbourne man who was wrongly identified as the author of a “hate blog” directed at writer and TV personality, Marieke Hardy. Hardy posted a tweet last year to…
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Having a patent may increase financial returns by between 40% and 50%. Xurxo Martínez

TECHNOLOGY

Do patents promote innovation?

IDEAS AND OWNERSHIP: The concept of protecting ideas and innovation by legal means dates back to antiquity. But in the age of the internet and multinational business models, many of the existing laws are…
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GRBs have puzzled astronomers for decades, and there is still plenty to learn. EOS/A Roquette

SCIENCE

Flash, aah-aah! Could a gamma ray burst eradicate all life on Earth?

Ever since they were discovered accidentally in the 1960s, gamma ray bursts (GRBs) have continued to amaze and puzzle astronomers worldwide. In nearly 50 years of research there seem to have been more…
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Does the US suffer from its desire to go it alone in space? NASA

SCIENCE

NASA, we have a problem: why America is lost in space

In its newly released budget request to Congress, the Obama Administration is seeking to reduce NASA’s funding by US$59m to US$17.7 billion – a reduction of just 0.03%, not that you would know that from…
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Uncertainty exists – but that's no excuse for a lack of action. @Doug88888

SCIENCE

Hot and bothered: the uncertain mathematics of global warming

These are painful times for those hoping to see an international consensus and substantive action on global warming. In the US, Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney said in June 2011: “The…
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Have the corporate exposés by Anonymous already backfired? mr.smashy

TECHNOLOGY

Anonymous, WikiLeaks and email dumps – the ultimate weapon?

Of all the tactics used by hacker collective Anonymous in any of its “operations”, the release of their victims' emails has been one that potentially could cause the most damage. Previous releases have…
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Love and neurochemistry go hand in hand. brianwiese

SCIENCE

I love you (and that’s not the dopamine talking)

You know the feeling: your heart’s beating faster, your pupils dilate, your palms are sweaty, and you’ve got a belly-full of butterflies. You’re in love and, yes, you’re “all shook up”. The euphoria of…